Over on the Upgrading WordPress with Fantastico post Francois asked “Do you think it is really necessary to upgrade in the first place?”
Well, the short response is that after reading a number of posts from webmasters who have done the WordPress 2.5 upgrade, I’m more inclined to believe that my penchant for keeping things simple really pays off. (Although I’m already using WP 2.5 on a couple of smaller, very simple blogs; I haven’t yet updated my larger blogs such as NPT).
WebBlogToolsCollection has posted a FAQ on WordPress 2.5 that answers a big whack of questions about the new version, and many of the 67 commentors to date have added still more questions to the already sizeable list.
The biggest complaint around the blogosphere seems to be that the widgets don’t work for some bloggers who use multiple column templates. One might assume that they are using templates not yet verified as being compatible with WP 2.5. However, even templates that were listed as compatible on the WordPress site were later discovered not to work completely with the latest version.
Ergo, my statement about simplicity above. I don’t bother using widgetized sidebars and prefer instead to hardcode elements so that they will work regardless of template compatibility… and goodness knows that I like to tinker with templates! 
So, to answer your question, Francois — if you are uncertain about whether or not you should upgrade at this point, it’s probably best to wait — especially if you’re not big into tweaking and want something that works ‘out of the box’.
Here’s some sage advice that Jon of Ninja Blog Setup left as a comment on the earlier post:
For major upgrades, like the one just released from 2.3.3 to 2.5 it is advisable to wait a couple weeks to allow plugin authors a chance to test and revise any problems in their plugins, but with minor upgrades, like from 2.3.2 to 2.3.3, which are often security related, these should be done ASAP and the Instant Upgrade plugin works fantastically.
Hope that helps!
[tags]blogging, WordPress 2.5[/tags]
About Rosalind Gardner
I’ve updated my blogs to WordPress 2.5, for me one big advantage of this release is the ability to update plugins with one click.
I don’t have problems with widgets because I don’t use them – like you I much prefer to handcode.
Maybe it’s an age thing
David
I’m using 2.5 on one blog and the posting page has the worst UI- you have to scroll to get to categories which drives me nuts. They used to be just to the right of the posting box. Now they are below. Also, on the dashboard Write a Post is all the way over to the right which breaks every rule of online interface design- put it on the left because it is the most used interface element.
Why they did this stuff is beyond me.
David,
Call me old, that’s OK. It’s certainly preferable to the alternative.
Cheers,
Ros
I upgraded, because the one-click plugin updating was very appealing. I don’t like the new dashboard or write page, but then, I write my entries in notepad anyway. The write page has been a pain for some time, but nobody else has a better one, because they’re all so set on making it easier for people who don’t know html that they’re making it horrible for those of us who already know how to use bold tags.
What’s bugging me today is the fact that I’ve lost the ability to edit comments. In the past, if a comment had too many spammy links, I could edit them out and still allow the comment. Now, I can’t find a way to do that. I can approve or delete, but not edit.
I have just updated to wordpress 2.5 and i have to say i don’t know what to make of it, everything seems to be in the wrong place to what i’m used to. I am going to keep going with it over the next week, but if i don’t like it i’m going to go back to the older version i was using.
ross
I just put up this new site. Installed it with Fantastico (2.3.3) then upgraded to 2.5. The only problems I had were with my ISP, Hughes.net. The weather was bad, saltllite doesn’t like bad weather, and I had a few unsuccessful file uploads. Once that was cleared, I have no problems so far.
I’m just putting the finishing touches on a redo of my blogs template and is debating if I should bother with the latest version of WP. Maybe I’ll wait around until any/all bugs and kinks are worked out. Keep commenting people, no better info than first hand experience
I am still waiting a few more months before switching over. I just don’t see the point.